Method and system to improve safety concerning drones

ABSTRACT

A method and system for controlling access to restricted sectors in airspace is disclosed. The method includes creating a multi-dimensional map of airspace, overlaying a sector having boundaries onto the map, wherein the sector contains a restricted flight zone and a buffer zone monitoring the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), sending a command to the UAV if the UAV enters the buffer zone; and generating a response if the UAV does not leave the sector based on the command.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. Parent applicationSer. No. 15/927,923 filed Mar. 21, 2018 and entitled “Method and Systemto Improve Safety Concerning Drones,” now U.S. Pat. No. 10,217,369,issued Feb. 26, 2019, which in turn is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/207,874 filed Jul. 12, 2016 and entitled “Methodand System to Improve Safety Concerning Drones,” now U.S. Pat. No.9,947,233, issued Apr. 17, 2018, all of which applications are herebyincorporated by reference in their respective entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present application relate to methods and systems forcontrolling unmanned vehicles (UVs), and more particularly to methodsand systems that provide maps and flight controls of an Unmanned AerialVehicle (“UAV”) to enforce no-fly or restricted fly zones.

BACKGROUND

Today a large number of companies are greatly expanding their use ofUAVs. UAVs have been used for military applications, search-and-rescuemissions, scientific research, delivering goods, and other uses. UAVscan include a plurality of airborne platforms or air vehicles, eachcarrying a plurality of sensors that may be used to collect informationabout an area under surveillance or to deliver a payload to a certainlocation. The airborne platforms may communicate with users, which mayinclude persons or equipment, that desire access to data collected bythe sensors or desire to control the UAV. More sophisticated UAVs havebuilt-in control and/or guidance systems to perform low-level humanpilot duties, such as speed and flight path surveillance, and simplepre-scripted navigation functions.

While UAVs are becoming increasingly valuable with commercial,government and recreational uses, having multiple UAVs flying in an areaof the sky may also increase potential risk. For example, commercialUAVs flying over an area designated as an emergency zone may pose a riskfor first responders or other UAVs being used by first responders. A UAVflying over a military or government installation may pose a securityrisk. A UAV entering into an area saturated with other UAVs may pose aflight risk for itself or other UAVs. For this reason, a mechanism isneeded to warn or move a drone if it causes a safety concern, which mayfor example result from the UAV flying into an RF fencing safety bufferor near a no-fly or restricted flight zone.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a method for providing safety and security for UAVs byestablishing no-fly and restricted flight sectors and buffer sectorssurrounding those sectors. The method includes creating amulti-dimensional map of airspace, overlaying a sector having boundariesonto the map, wherein the sector contains a restricted flight zone and abuffer zone, monitoring the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV),sending a command to the UAV if the UAV enters the buffer zone andgenerating a response if the UAV does not leave the sector based on thecommand. The response may include sending a second command to the UAV tooverride a current flight plan of the UAV or generating an alarm. Accessto the sector may be restricted to one of time of day, authorizationlevels, and number of UAVs in the sector. The boundaries may begenerated based on events and then transmitted to the UAV or theboundaries may be received from a second UAV and transmitted to the UAV.The boundaries may move as a function of time or the boundaries may movebased on the movement of events on the ground. The method may furtherinclude receiving a request from the UAV to enter the sector andtransmitting a response to the UAV.

The disclosure may also include a system having a UAV and a command andcontrol center in which a processor in the command and control center isconnected to a memory, the memory including instructions which whenexecuted by the processor, performs the functions set forth above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of preferred embodiments is betterunderstood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For thepurposes of illustration, there is shown in the drawings exemplaryembodiments; however, the subject matter is not limited to the specificelements and instrumentalities disclosed. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an exemplary system environmentin which the methods and systems to dynamically manage flight paths ofUAVs near areas of concern may be implemented.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram of an exemplary UAV control system.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a UAV commandand control center.

FIG. 4 is a system diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a missionpolicy management system.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram implementing the concept of no-fly zonesand buffer zones.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for dynamicallycontrolling the flight path of a UAV near areas of concern.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for an unexpectedevent.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

System Environment.

Illustrated in FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a exemplarysystem environment 1 in which embodiments of the present disclosure mayoperate. The system environment 1 includes UAV 2 and UAV 3, eachcarrying sensors (sensor 4 and sensor 5) for collecting information orpayloads (payload 6 and payload 7) for delivery. Although only two UAVsare illustrated in FIG. 1, it is contemplated that the systemenvironment 1 would encompass a plurality of UAVs. UAV 2 and UAV 3 maycommunicate with a command and control center 8 and a plurality of userdevices (user device 9, user device 10, and user device 11). Command andcontrol center 8 may communicate with UAV 2 through a network 12 or anRF transmitter 13. Similarly user device 11 may communicate with UAV 3through the network 12 or an RF transmitter 14. Network 12 may be adistributed network such as the Internet or a wireless cellular network,which may, for example, be a 3G, 4G LTE network, or any number ofwireless networks that are capable of providing a communicationinterface to the plurality of UAVs. User device 9, user device 10 anduser device 11 may comprise any wireless device such as a cell phone, asmart phone, personal data assistants (PDA) or a personal computer suchas a desktop, a laptop computer or a tablet computer. Command andcontrol center 8 may be part of a larger command and control center (notshown) which controls not only UAV flights, but which may also includeother military, commercial or private flights. The command and controlcenter is typically a facility that operates as the operating entity'sdispatch center, surveillance monitoring center, coordination office andalarm monitoring center all in one. Command and control centers may beoperated by the operating entity.

UAV Control System.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating the main hardware andsystem components of one embodiment of a UAV control system 51. The UAVcontrol system 51 includes a central processing unit (CPU 53), which isresponsible for processing data and executing commands and instructions.The CPU 53 may be responsible for processing sensor data, handling I/Oto a GPS receiver 55, a UAV transmitter/receiver 57, and bypass circuit59, thereby enabling communications with the ground station. The UAVcontrol system 51 is provided with sufficient memory to store theautopilot source code and effect runtime execution. The CPU 53 is inelectronic communication with various sensors and may, for example, beresponsible for processing raw data from the various sensors such assensor 60 and storing and transmitting the data. Data is stored inmemory 61, which is in electronic communication with the CPU 53. Thememory 61 may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory or anyother type of memory technology currently available. To control a UAVsuch as UAV 2 in FIG. 1, the UAV control system 51 may have access tothe location coordinates of UAV 2. These coordinates are measured usingthe GPS receiver 55 that is in electronic communication with the CPU 53.The GPS receiver 55 receives its data through a GPS antenna 65. Thefixed rotational rates of UAV 2 may be measured by rate gyros 67 a, 67b, and 67 c which are in electronic communication with the CPU 53. Therate gyros 67 a, 67 b and 67 c are disposed to enable sensing of therotational rates about the body axes of the UAV 2. The altitude of theUAV may be measured using an absolute pressure sensor 69 or otheraltitude measuring device that is in electronic communication with theCPU 53. Acceleration in the x, y, and z axes may be measured byaccelerometers 26 a, 26 b, and 26 c which are in electroniccommunication with the CPU 53. The velocity of UAV 2 may be measuredusing a differential pressure sensor 73 in electronic communication withthe CPU 53. The differential pressure sensor 73 outputs a voltage basedon the difference in pressure between its two external ports. A pitottube may be connected to one of the ports and the other is left open tothe ambient air. The flow of air against the pitot tube causes apressure difference proportional to the speed of the air. Thecorresponding voltage produced by the differential pressure sensor 73 isused to calculate the airspeed of the UAV 2. The CPU 53 may be also inelectronic communication with payload inputs 75 which may include datafrom a video processing unit or any other data that involves a payload(such as payload 6) on the UAV. The UAV is controlled using flightactuators 77 which include servos in electronic communication with theCPU 53 that control the flight of the UAV 2. The bypass circuit 59 maybe provided to allow a user to take control of the UAV 2. The UAVcontrol system 51 is electrically connected to a power source 81. In oneembodiment the power source 81 may include a plurality of batteries. Thepower source 81 may be used to power the UAV control system 51 andconnected accessories. The power source 81 may also be used to power anactuator 83 that propels the UAV 2. The UAV control system 51 may beprovided with an RC control system 85 that allows a user to take controlof a UAV (such as UAV 3) using an RF transmitter such as RF transmitter14 or RF transmitter 13 shown in FIG. 1.

The UAV control system 51 may interact with a mission policy managementsystem 89, which are described in more detail below, and that controlaccess to the UAV control system 51 by user devices such as user device11 (shown in FIG. 1). An access management system and the mission policymanagement system 89 may be implemented in the UAV 2 or in the network12.

Command and Control Station.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the main hardware components of acommand and control center 8. The command and control center 8 includesa ground station computer 100. The ground station computer 100 may be alaptop computer, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant, atablet PC, a wireless device such as a smart phone or similar devices.The ground station computer 100 runs ground station system software 101as well as user interface software 102. The ground station computer 100may also run policy management software 103 that provides missionmanagement parameters to the UAV during operations. The ground stationcomputer 100 is in electronic communication with a ground unit 104.Electronic communication between the ground station computer 100 and theground unit 104 may be accomplished via a serial or USB port. Groundunit 104 may include CPU 105, memory 106, a payload processing system107, a ground transmitter/receiver 108, and a ground antenna 109. CPU105 processes data from the ground station computer 100 and the UAV suchas UAV 2 in FIG. 1. The payload processing system 107 processes anypayload data received from the UAV control system 51, (shown in FIG. 2),or payload commands from the ground station computer 100. The payloadprocessing system 107 may also be connected directly to CPU 105 or theground station computer 100. Data from the payload processing system107, CPU 105, or the ground station computer 100 is sent through theground transmitter/receiver 108. The ground transmitter/receiver 108also receives data from the UAV control system 51 (shown in FIG. 2). Inan embodiment an RC controller 110 in electronic communication with thecommand and control center 8 (shown in FIG. 1) may be provided. The CPU105 may also be connected to an RC unit 110 with RC antenna 111 that canbe used to control the UAV 3 (shown in FIG. 1) using RC signals.

The ground station computer 100 may also include a mapping function 113.The mapping function 113 may, for example, include a three-dimensional(“3D”) map of a volume of space through which a UAV may fly. The mappingfunction 113 may also include two-dimensional (“2D”) mapping function.The mapping function 113 may include the ability to partition the spacevolume into either 3-dimensional volume-based sectors or two-dimensionalarea-based sectors encompassing and defining space in two dimensionsfrom the ground to a relatively high altitude above the ground. For thepurpose of this disclosure and claims, the use of the term “sector” willinclude both 3D volume sectors as well as 2-dimensional area sectors.The use of such sectors will be described in greater detail withreference to FIG. 5 below. The mapping function 113 may create sectorsoff-line and share those sectors with UAVs 2, 3 prior to or duringflight. The mapping function 113 may also receive inputs from a userthrough user interface software 102 which could create additional oralter existing sectors based on real-time or near-real time inputs.Those inputs may, for example, include the location of a presidentialmotorcade on a particular freeway, thereby creating the need to define asector dynamically such that a no-fly zone or restricted fly zone may beimplemented and updated periodically as the motorcade progresses throughits route. Static and dynamically generated maps may be communicated toUAVs 2, 3 through the RF interface 111.

In accordance with an alternative embodiment, sectors may be generatedby a UAV, for example, UAV 2 or UAV 3, and communicated wirelessly fromthe UAV to the command and control center 8. Such functionality mayprove useful, for example, in an emergency situation such as a trafficaccident or an industrial incident in which a sector has to be mappedfrom the air by a UAV in order to create the boundaries of sector thatwill ultimately be set up as a no-fly or restricted flight zone and thencommunicated to other UAVs in real time or near real time to provide ano fly zone or restricted fly zone for all other UAVs until theemergency situation is resolved. The foregoing use case is exemplaryonly and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Mission Management System.

Illustrated in FIG. 4 is an exemplary embodiment of the mission policymanagement system 89. The mission policy management system 89 mayinclude a mission information subsystem 125 and an environment subsystem126. The mission information subsystem 125 and the environment subsystem126 may be coupled to a mission decision engine 127. Mission decisionengine 127 may optionally be coupled to an artificial intelligencemodule 128 if the UAV is intended to have a self-learning capability.

The mission information subsystem 125 may include a mission profilemodule 129 that stores and processes mission profile informationrelating to the type of mission such as reconnaissance, attack, payloaddelivery, and the like. Associated with each mission profile will be aset of mission parameters such as regions that must be visited oravoided, time constraints, time of year, flight altitude, flightlatitude, and payload mass and power, initial position of the target,direction of a target, and flight path, among others.

The mission information subsystem 125 may include a checklist module 130that stores and processes checklists to ensure that the UAV isperforming correctly during flight. Prior to and during operation, theunmanned vehicle may undergo one or more verification procedures thatare performed according to one or more corresponding checklists. Thechecklists in the checklist module 130 generally include a sequence ofvarious operating parameters to be verified for proper functionalityand/or control actions to be taken once required operational parametershave been achieved. For example, a particular checklist implementedprior to take off may include verification of the unmanned vehicle'sfuel supply and other suitable operating parameters. In addition to achecklist implemented for use with takeoff, other checklists may beimplemented for other tasks performed by unmanned vehicles, such as achange in flight plan, or in response to specific events or situationsthat may arise during any particular mission.

The mission information subsystem 125 may also include a policies module131. Policies module 131 may include a set of policies related to thelevel of control to be exercised by the command and control center 8during flight. For example, a commercial UAV may have policies thatpermit flight to and from commercial distribution centers to targetdestinations, but restricted from airspace over military installations.A military UAV carrying weapons may have policies that permit flight incertain areas but may restrict flight over certain population centers.Other parameters for policies may include UAV and target location,customer and operator preferences, UAV status (e.g. power, type, etc.),next mission on the list, available resources and the like. The policiesmay, for example, contain levels of authorization which will dictate,based on defined or dynamic sectors, where a UAV may fly and where a UAVmay not fly. The policies may also include authorization levels formodifying such policies during flight operations.

The environment subsystem 126 may include a UAV state module 132 whichmay include information about the state of the UAV such as power,payload capacity, distance to user, location and the like.

The environment subsystem 126 may also include a UAV environment modulewhich may include information about the environment in which the UAV isoperating such as weather, threat level and the like. The environmentsubsystem 126 may also include a user environment module which mayinclude information about the environment in which the ground-based useris operating, such as weather, location, terrain, threat level and thelike.

The mission information subsystem 125 and the environment subsystem 126may be coupled to the mission decision engine 127 configured to receivemission parameters from the mission information subsystem 125, fetch aplurality of mission plans from the mission profile module 129, andselect one of the plurality of mission profiles based upon the currentrequirements and the environmental parameters. The mission decisionengine 127 may access a rules database 135 that provides rules to themission decision engine 127. The mission decision engine 127 may alsoreceive updated mission parameters during flight that alerts the missioninformation subsystem of updated sectors that may include no-fly orrestricted flight zones based on the level of authorization of the UAV.

The artificial intelligence module 128 may include an inference engine,a memory (not shown) for storing data from the mission decision engine127, heuristic rules, and a knowledge base memory (not shown) whichstores network information upon which the inference engine draws. Theartificial intelligence module 128 is configured to apply a layer ofartificial intelligence to the mission profiles stored in the missionprofile module 129 to develop relationships between mission parametersto perform and improve the assessments, diagnoses, simulations,forecasts, and predictions that form the mission profile. The artificialintelligence module 128 recognizes if a certain action (implementationof mission parameters) achieved a desired result (successfullyaccomplishing the mission). The artificial intelligence module 128 maystore this information and attempt the successful action the next timeit encounters the same situation. Likewise, the artificial intelligencemodule 128 may be trained to look for certain conditions or events thatwould necessitate the need or desire to define sectors to be used asno-fly zones or restricted fly zones. Such defined sectors may then betransmitted to the command and control system 8. The mission policymanagement system 89 may be incorporated in the UAV or may be acomponent of the network 12. It will be understood that the missionpolicy management system 89 described above may include all or a subsetof the functions set forth above, or may include additional functions.Such a description is exemplary only and is not intended to limit thescope of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the mapping of sectors and how those sectorsmay define no-fly zones, restricted flight zones, and buffer zones.There is shown a plurality of sectors 156 a-156 h. While those sectorsare shown as similarly-sized, intersecting circles, it will beunderstood that the sectors may be defined to be any size and/or shape,intersecting or non-intersecting, and 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional.

By way of example only, shown within the sectors are three landmarks, agovernment building 158, a sports stadium 160 and a residential house162. Each of those landmarks may include the definition of a bufferzone, shown as 159, 161, and 163. A buffer zone 159, 161, 163 may be a2D or 3D sector of any size or shape and may, for example, be used as awarning area for a UAV about to enter into a no-fly or restricted zonesurrounding the landmarks 158, 160, and 162.

By way of example, UAV 152 may or may not be authorized to fly overlandmark 158 or buffer zone 159. UAV 153 may or may not be authorized tofly over landmark 160 or buffer zone 161. UAV 154 may or may not beauthorized to fly over landmark 162 or buffer zone 163. Suchauthorization may be programmed in advance and off-line and stored inthe mission policy management system 89 or updated in real-time or nearreal time during flight and communicated to the UAV 152, 153, 154 duringflight from the command and control system 8. Updates to the respectiveauthorizations may be provided by a UAV in flight and communicated toother UAVs through the command and control system 8. Alternatively,updates to the respective authorizations may be made off-line andcommunicated to the UAVs through the command and control system 8. Suchauthorizations may be further limited by time-of-day, weather, payloads,or any number of other filters.

In operation, there may, for example, be a presidential event or otherevent at stadium 160. If a presidential event, it may be that onlysecret service UAVs and a limited number of authorized news orientedUAVs are allowed in or near the stadium 160 during the event. The no-flyzone above stadium 160 and its associated buffer zone 161 related to thestadium 160 may be pre-programmed into the UAVs flying in this areaalong with a permitted flying path. When a UAV flies into the bufferzone 161, a request is triggered to send to the command and control unit8 a request for permission to enter. If allowed, the permission isgranted with a tag indicating the ATS in the zone. If the UAV is notallowed, the permission to enter is denied, e.g. with the ATS=0, and theUAV has to leave immediately. A command is triggered to ask it to leavethe No-fly zones/RF buffer zone immediately. In addition, if the UAVdoes not leave within a programmable interval an alarm can be triggeredor countermeasures taken. The restricted sector above the stadium 160and the buffer zone 161 may be restricted as a function of time.

By way of another example, a UAV may be used with respect to the sale ofa home. A home 162 may be for sale. Her agent had made a fewappointments with several potential buyers' real estate agents to surveythe property prior to an onsite visit. In order to control UAV trafficin and around the home 162 and the buffer zone 163, a temporary permitis given to an approved list of UAVs for a given period of the timeduring which only UAVs on that list are permitted to fly over theproperty while and other UAVs are not permitted. For the permitted UAVsa tag is assigned with ATS=x as well as the areas allowed/not-allowed toenter, e.g. all the areas except the pool area to prevent takingpictures of kids swimming. For other UAVs the permission to enter isdenied, e.g. with the ATS=0, and the UAV must leave the protectedsector. A command is triggered to request that the UAV leave the No-flysector/RF buffer zone sector. In addition, if the UAV does not leavewithin a programmable interval an alarm can be triggered orcountermeasures taken. It will be understood that certain limitations onpermitted sector entry may be made, for example, never allow UAVs to flyover a swimming pool area, and such limitations are within the scope ofthe present disclosure.

Another use case may include the package delivery to a military campus.In general, it may be the case that a government building 158 ormilitary campus (not shown) not allow any non-government or non-militaryrelated UAVs to fly over or near the government building 158 or insideor near the campus. But when packages are scheduled and permitted to bedelivered to the government building 158 or military campus, a temporarypermission may be provided to the UAV. The restricted sector and itsassociated RF buffer zone 159 related to the government building 158 orthe military campus may be pre-programmed into this carrier UAV. When aUAV flies into the buffer zone 159, a request is triggered to send tothe command and control center 8 managed by the government or militarymanagement or via a command and control center 8 service provider torequest permission-to-enter. The permission is granted to the carrierUAV on a temporary basis with a tag indicating the ATS in the sector, aswell as the sectors permitted or not permitted to enter, for example, noareas are permitted to enter except the non-sensitive areas, like thefront entrance. If the UAV is not permitted, the permission to enter isdenied, e.g. setting the ATS=0, and the UAV must leave immediately. Acommand is triggered to request that the UAV leave the no-fly sectorabove the government building 158 or the RF buffer sector 159. Inaddition, if the UAV does not leave within a programmable interval analarm can be triggered or countermeasures taken. It will be understoodthat certain limitations relating to a permitted sector entry may bemade, for example, never allow UAVs to fly over military barracks orweapons training areas, and such limitations are within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

It will be understood that there are other use cases not illustrated.For example, a UAV may be deployed over an accident or a disaster areaand develop a prohibited or restricted sector during flight andcommunicate that sector to other UAVs directly or through the commandand control center 8.

Illustrated in FIG. 6 is an embodiment of a method 200 for controllingthe flight path of a UAV.

In step 202, a determination is made whether there are restricted zones.If not the process ends. If so, then the process continues at 203 inwhich the restricted sectors are overlaid onto the RF maps. The updatedmaps are then sent to the UAV at 204. The command and control system 8continues to track the flight status of the UAV at 205 with the updatedmaps programmed into the UAV.

At 206, the command and control center receives a request for permissionto enter. If permission is denied, the denial is sent at 211. At 212,the determination is made as to whether the UAV has complied with thedenial of entry. If not, then a flight program override or an alarm orother countermeasure is effectuated at 213. If so, then the flightstatus is tracked at 208 and the information on the flight path andrequests is logged at 209.

If permission to enter is granted at 206, then an authorization is sentat 207. The flight status is tracked at 208 and the information on theflight path and requests is logged at 209. control system 51 receives arequest from a user for access to the UAV control system 51.

With reference to FIG. 7, there is shown an exemplary method 300 inwhich a UAV maps a restricted sector in flight. At 301, an unexpectedevent occurs, which may, for example, be a traffic accident, a fire or anatural disaster such as a flood or tornado. At 302, the UAV determines,itself or in conjunction with a command and control center 8, whethercertain sectors should be restricted. If not, then no further action istaken. If so, then the UAV generates a restricted sector map at 303 andsends that map to the command and control center 8 at 304. The commandand control center updates maps with the newly developed restrictedsector at 305. At 306, a determination is made whether other UAVs are inthe area. If so, a map with the new restricted sector is sent at 311.Note that such updated maps may be sent from the command and controlcenter 8 or directly from the UAV that generated the updated maps. At312, a determination is made whether the UAVs are in compliance with therestrictions in the updated maps. If not, then a flight program overridemay be sent or an alarm sounded at 313. If there are no other UAVs inthe area or if the new UAVs are sent the updated maps, then the flightstatus is tracked at 308 and activity logged at 309.

In accordance with the present disclosure, there is provided the abilityto improve the public safety in no-fly or restricted sectors or in oraround other locations with safety or security concerns. There isprovided the ability to provide the UAV with the instructions regardingwhen and where it is allowed to fly within the no-fly or restrictedflight sectors. There is also provided the ability to trigger a commandto the UAV to move if a UAV enters into the RF buffer sectors or no-flysectors.

Although not every conceivable combination of components andmethodologies for the purposes describing the present disclosure havebeen set out above, the examples provided will be sufficient to enableone of ordinary skill in the art to recognize the many combinations andpermutations possible in respect of the present disclosure. Accordingly,this disclosure is intended to embrace all such alterations,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims. For example, numerous methodologies for defining,restricting and enforcing restricted flight zones and correspondingbuffer zones may be encompassed within the concepts of the presentdisclosure.

In particular and in regard to the various functions performed by theabove described components, devices, circuits, systems and the like, theterms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe suchcomponents are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, toany component which performs the specified function of the describedcomponent (e.g., a functional equivalent), even though not structurallyequivalent to the disclosed structure, which performs the function inthe herein illustrated exemplary aspects of the embodiments. In thisregard, it will also be recognized that the embodiments includes asystem as well as a computer-readable medium having computer-executableinstructions for performing the acts and/or events of the variousmethods.

In addition, while a particular feature may have been disclosed withrespect to only one of several implementations, such feature may becombined with one or more other features of the other implementations asmay be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” and “including”and variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or theclaims, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar tothe term “comprising.”

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by aprocessor, data from a first vehicle; updating, by the processor basedon the data, a map of an airspace to generate an updated map, whereinthe map is associated with a flight zone having a first boundary and abuffer zone having a second boundary; and sending, by the processor, theupdated map to a second vehicle.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving a request from the second vehicle associated withthe updated map; and sending a command to the second vehicle in responseto the request.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the request comprisesa request to enter the flight zone.
 4. The method of claim 3, whereinthe command comprises an indication of an area within the flight zonethe second vehicle is permitted to enter.
 5. The method of claim 2,wherein the command is sent to the second vehicle via a network, andwherein the command is based on an approved list of vehicles.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the map is associated with a sector, andwherein the sector is associated with the flight zone and the bufferzone.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that thesecond vehicle is in an area associated with the flight zone, whereinthe updated map is sent to the second vehicle in response to thedetermining.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: monitoring aflight status associated with the second vehicle; determining whether acurrent flight associated with the second vehicle is in compliance withthe updated map based on the monitoring; and sending a command to thesecond vehicle when the current flight associated with the secondvehicle is not in compliance with the updated map.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising updating an authorization associated withthe flight zone and the buffer zone during a current flight of thesecond vehicle.
 10. A system comprising: a memory that storesmachine-readable instructions; and a processor that executes themachine-readable instructions to perform operations, the operationscomprising: receiving data associated with an event; generating, basedon the data, a map associated with a restricted zone having a firstboundary and a buffer zone having a second boundary; and sending the mapto a first vehicle.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operationsfurther comprise: receiving a request from the first vehicle associatedwith the map; and sending a command to the first vehicle in response tothe request.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations furthercomprise: determining that the first vehicle is in an area associatedwith at least one of: the restricted zone or the buffer zone; andsending a command to the first vehicle in response to the determining.13. The system of claim 10, wherein the data is received by a secondvehicle and the map is sent to the first vehicle by the second vehicle.14. The system of claim 10, wherein the map is associated with a sector,and wherein the sector is associated with the restricted zone and thebuffer zone.
 15. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations furthercomprise determining whether one or more restricted zones are to bedefined based on the data, wherein the map is generated in response tothe determining.
 16. The system of claim 10, wherein the operationsfurther comprise sending the map to a command and control center.
 17. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, whichwhen executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations,the operations comprising: accessing a map associated with a firstrestricted zone having a first boundary and a first buffer zone having asecond boundary; updating, based on received data, the map to add asecond restricted zone and a second buffer zone to obtain an updatedmap; receiving a first request from a first vehicle to enter one of thefirst restricted zone or the second restricted zone; and sending a firstcommand to the first vehicle in response to the first request.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein theoperations further comprise sending the updated map to the firstvehicle, wherein the first restricted zone and the first buffer zone areassociated with a first sector, and wherein the second restricted zoneand the second buffer zone are associated with a second sector.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the firstrestricted zone and the first buffer zone are associated with an event,and wherein the operations further comprise updating, based on amovement associated with the event, a definition of the first restrictedzone and the first buffer zone.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 19, wherein the updated map is obtained and sent by asecond vehicle during navigation of the second vehicle, wherein theoperations further comprise: determining, by the second vehicle, whetherthe second vehicle is in the second buffer zone; in response todetermining that the second vehicle is in the second buffer zone,sending, by the second vehicle, a second request to enter the secondrestricted zone; receiving, by the second vehicle from a command andcontrol center, a second command associated with the second request; andnavigating, by the second vehicle, according to the second command.